Iceland One Of Best Destinations For Space Lovers, Says National Geographic

According to a new article from National Geographic, Iceland is one of the best travel destinations for international space enthusiasts. It’s here, in fact, that travellers can thoroughly enjoy “the manifestations of our planet’s magnetic shield” in the form of northern lights.

The media outlet recently published an extensive gallery shot by UK based photographer Robert Ormerod during his journey through Iceland. Ormerod, whose work has been published by Vogue UK, The New York Times, Vice Mag and more, came to the country as part of a project which aims to inspire those who are passionate about the cosmos but for one reason or other will never be able to travel to the stars.

“What happens to the people who don’t let go of the dream and also can’t become an astronaut?” Ormerod asks. “Where do they go with this passion?”

Apparently, they come to Iceland. The country is in fact one of the best places to see natural wonders such as the breathtaking aurorae, but tourists have also talked about their experience in Iceland as otherworldly, as its sparse landscape has often been likened to that of planet Mars or even the moon.

It’s not surprising, then, to see that Ormerod has chosen to travel here to explore the country’s vast, colourful skies and its bizarre environment. Ormerod travelled along the Ring Road and stopped around the alien-like valleys around Lake Mývatn as well as the town of Húsavík, where he captured the magic of purple-hued aurorae.

While he was here, he also met the manager of the Icelandic Museum of Exploration, Örlygur Hnefill Örlygsson. Örlygur has been bringing Apollo astronauts back to their original training centre, where they prepared for their trip to the moon more than 50 years ago. Said astronauts include Walter Cunningham, Rusty Schweikart, Harrison Schmitt and even the family of Neil Armstrong.

Northern lights, however, triggered Ormerod’s imagination the most, and he was starstruck when he finally saw them for the first time, capturing their mesmerising dance just outside Húsavík, in the North of Iceland. You can find his beautiful gallery here, on the National Geographic site.